Television viewing is part of daily life. Many individuals prefer not be interrupted while watching television, but they may desire to monitor telephone calls and other forms of communication, for example, in case of an emergency or to avoid reviewing a large number of new messages at a future time. Nonetheless, the integration of communications with television viewing is uncommon. Technical compatibilities pose challenges when integrating conventional telephone and television networks, in addition to data networks, such as the Internet or wireless networks.
Systems that allow a user to access a store of messages from a television do not provide notifications of communications as they occur. They also typically require that the user interrupt television programming. Moreover, these systems provide, at most, message header information, such as a source or time of a message. This header information does not allow a user to monitor the actual content recorded by a sender of the message. Thus, users often cannot accurately assess—based on the limited header information—whether they should interrupt their television viewing to answer a call or make contact with a party who has left a voice or e-mal message.